EVERY DUKE HAS HIS DAY

A not-so-old duke learns new tricks.

Elizabeth Dockering, Bitsy to her friends, may be the happiest woman in London. She’s the diamond of her second London Season, with multiple suitors, a full dance card, and at least another year until she’s on the shelf. But though Bitsy is adored, her rambunctious poodle, Galahad, causes problems everywhere he goes, and then Galahad leads her to meet the only person in London who isn’t immediately fond of her: Michael Bromley, Duke of Woriton. That might be because her poodle has dragged his aunt’s poodle, Lancelot, and thus also the duke, into the Serpentine, a lake in Hyde Park. Or it might be because he’s generally known to be a grumpy, eccentric man more interested in his scientific experiments than traditional pursuits for a duke. In any event, they couldn’t have less in common, but when first his aunt’s poodle and then Bitsy’s are stolen and held for ransom, they partner up to try to find their dogs and get them back. They are soon attracted to each other, and though they’re certain that they’re just too different for anything meaningful to occur, as the hunt for their dogs continues, they keep surprising each other and wondering about something more. Though this Regency rom-com does center around a pair of dognappings and a bit of suspense, it never gets dark—the story is far too sweet for that. Switching among several points of view creates additional depth and also allows Enoch to incorporate a charming B-plot romance set on the working-class side of town. Though it’s a relatively chaste tale, readers will believe in the straightforward attraction between Bitsy and Michael and enjoy the moments of levity throughout.

A well-crafted historical romance about dogs and the people who love them.